Soi Fon's Secret Mission
by Xgamerkf
Summary: Yoruichi catches someone spying on her one afternoon and decides to do a little spying of her own to find the culprit. But when a long kept secret is revealed in the process, her whole world is turned upside down. YoruSoi, Yuri.
1. Chapter 1

**_Bleach _**

**Soi Fon's Secret Mission **

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Romance

Pairing(s): Soi Fon/Solo, Yoruichi/Soi Fon

Rating: Mature – Strong Sexual Content, Mild Language

Disclaimer: "Bleach" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Tite Kubo / Shueisha. All rights reserved.

Summary: Yoruichi catches someone spying on her one afternoon and decides to do a little spying of her own to find the culprit. But when a long kept secret is revealed in the process, her whole world is turned upside down.

Author Comments: Hello readers, new and old. Welcome to my first venture into the world of Bleach. I've been a fan of the series for a while now, though I'm a ways behind the overall storyline having only seen the episodes that have aired in the US thus far and read bits of information online. As such, I apologize for any real screw-ups in continuity on my part.

I decided to write this story because after the episodes based around Soi Fon and Yoruichi's past aired, and after seeing and reading a few things online, I completely fell in love with Soi's character and this pairing. Her little obsession with Yoruichi is adorable, in my opinion, and they just seem so cute and perfect together. Come on, Yoruichi, wise up already! You'll never find anyone who'll love you as much as Soi Fon does! Anyway, I hope you like my story. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

At a secluded lagoon hidden deep within the heart of the Seireitei forest, Yoruichi Shihouin, the former captain of Squad 2 and head of the Special Forces, stood at ease in the cool hip-deep water and basked in the midday sun, allowing it's warmth and the gentle breeze to dry her skin having just finished her bath. She moaned softly as she cricked her neck to one side and arched her back, releasing some of the tension she felt built up in her shoulders.

It felt nice to be back in this place again. Maybe it was the people here, all the colorful characters, or maybe there was just something about the Seireitei itself. It wasn't perfect, but now that she was back she came to realize just how much she'd missed it. Granted, she hadn't exactly been welcomed back with open arms, but things had finally begun to smooth over in the weeks following the incident with Aizen.

Even Soi Fon, the one person that she was truly happy to see again, had finally forgiven her. She never apologized for leaving – it was simply something that she had to do, but never in a thousand years could she be sorry enough for the amount of pain and devastation that she had caused her Little Bee. It would be naive of her to think that things between them could ever be like they used to, but there was a certain glint back in Soi's eyes again, just like she remembered all those years ago.

Yoruichi grinned at the thought. Over a century had passed, and the younger woman was still just as formal, timid and awkward around her as ever. Always calling her by title, always blushing and shying away at the smallest compliment. It could get a little annoying at times, but she had to admit, it was actually sort of…charming.

The violet-haired woman had always wondered why she was like that. She'd always attributed it to something along the lines of hero-worship – much of the behavior did seem to fit that classification, but it just felt deeper than that somehow. Looking back, if she didn't know better she could almost think that Soi Fon…

Yoruichi's thoughts halted suddenly as a light rustling in the surrounding trees behind her captured her attention. It was faint, most people wouldn't have noticed it, but it was too concise and deliberate to be merely the wind or an animal. No, that was not a natural occurrence. Someone was watching her.

She narrowed her eyes, her concentration fixated on the area from which the sound originated as she searched for the culprit's spirit energy. After a few seconds, she spotted it. There…up in the trees about fifty meters back, just off to the left. It was so weak, suppressed to the point that it was almost nonexistent. Were she not who she was, she may well have missed it herself. Strange that she hadn't sensed it before, though.

To be able to mask their spiritual pressure so effectively… Clearly whoever it was must be of very high rank, possibly even captain level. But who could it be?

None of the current captains really seemed like the voyeuristic type. She wouldn't put it past a few of the lieutenants or lower ranking officers, but it was unlikely that any of them had the ability to control their spirit energy to the degree that this person did. To be honest, she doubted there was anyone outside the upper echelons of the Stealth Force that could even hope to spy on her without immediately being detected. That only left about two or three solid possibilities. One of which, oddly enough, was…

With that thought, Yoruichi turned around sharply and focusing her gaze on where her stalker was hiding, a look of shock and disbelief in her eyes. "Soi Fon?!" she exclaimed, her voice nary a whisper.

At that very moment the unknown spirit presence vanished into thin air, darting off into the woods at lightning speed as if realizing it had been spotted. Yoruichi considered pursuing for a moment, but quickly decided against it. Being butt-naked, she wasn't exactly in the best position to discuss this situation with whomever it was spying on her – not to mention it would be ironic as hell.

When she lost track of the assailant, the violet-haired woman let out a deep sigh and relaxed her nerves, gathering her scattered thoughts as she exited the lagoon.

Could that really have been…? No, it couldn't be. It just _couldn't_ be…could it? Yoruichi paced back-and-forth for a short while before taking a seat on a nearby boulder, thoroughly considering the situation several times over in her mind. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but the more she thought about it, the possibility that Soi Fon was the one spying on her only seemed to make more sense. Who else would be able to avoid detection for so long? Who else would be able to flee the area that quickly?

Still, even assuming that was the case…why? Why would Soi spy on her like that, and while she was bathing, no less? It wasn't like her at all. Could what she had been thinking earlier actually be true? Was Soi Fon…infatuated with her? In _love_ with her?

It would certainly explain a few things, but…all this time…could she really be…?

The dark-skinned woman closed her eyes and shook her head, promptly halting that train of thought. As likely or unlikely as it may be, she could not allow herself make rash assumptions about something of such significance. The fact of the matter was, while the list of plausible suspects was short, it could be any one of them and for any number of reasons. If she wanted to get to the bottom of this, it seems she was going to have to do a little spying of her own.

XXXXXXXXXX

With the sun gradually moving lower in the sky over the horizon, Captain Soi Fon made her way along the catwalks of the Division 2 headquarters en route to her office, the stress from the day weighing heavily on her mind. It was just another day; another round of the same monotonous tasks that her position required of her, the same glorious incompetence that she was forced to endure on a daily basis. Not to mention that…other…incident. Though you wouldn't know it by the dull expression on her face, to say that she was feeling irritable at this point in time would be a gross understatement of her current temperament.

She paused momentarily and took a deep breath in an attempt to quell some of her pent-up frustration. It didn't work.

Meanwhile, seated back in a lounge chair in the waiting area of the captain's office was her second-in-command – a man literally twice her size, Lieutenant Omaeda, who was tugging gingerly at a bag of his favorite crackers. Having a bit of trouble getting it open, he frowned in annoyance before giving it one last generous pull. The lieutenant then watched in horror as the bag ripped in half down the side, it's contents flying out into the air and falling to the floor, scattering all around him.

Rapt with fear, he dropped to his knees and immediately began sweeping the crumbs into a pile nearby as quickly as possible. The captain had never been one for patience, and the word leniency didn't seem to exist in her vocabulary, especially when it came to him. If she saw the mess that he'd made here he was going to be in for a world of hurt. Nevertheless, he made sure to eat the crackers that were still more-or-less in one piece – no sense letting them go to waste, after all.

Suddenly, a stern voice from just outside the doorway caught the large man's ear, sending a sharp chill down his spine. "Omaeda!"

A feeling of pure dread instantly filled the lieutenants body. She was here! Out of time and in a state of panic, he made a last ditch effort to try to spare himself his mistress's wrath by grabbing the pile of crumbs and shoveling what he could into his mouth before springing to his feet and standing at attention.

"Lieutenant Omaeda, I will be in my office for the remainder of the evening," Soi Fon said plainly as she entered the building. She kept her head facing forward as she moved towards her office, seemingly unaware of her subordinate's predicament as she walked passed him. "I am not to be disturbed under _any_ circumstances. Understood?"

"Yeph, Caphtin!" he replied without thinking, spewing the bits of food from his mouth.

Not a moment later, the sheer terror already coursing through the lieutenant's veins reached new heights as he realized his mistake. Unfortunately, he could only watch in dismay as the cracker crumbs showered down over Soi Fon's head and landed on her hair and shoulders. His life suddenly flashed before his eyes. He knew it…he was about to die.

The captain stopped dead in her tracks and closed her eyes, tightly clenching her fists and gritting her teeth together, her entire body trembling with rage. It took every shred of her being just to keep from beating the living hell out of the enormous man right then and there. Instead, in an unusual display of self-control, she simply reached up and swept the crumbs off of herself and onto the floor, and continued towards her office.

Omaeda stood frozen in place, not daring to move lest he give the petite woman a reason to regret her apparent show of mercy. She reached the door to her office a few seconds later and slid it open, making her way inside. Then, just when the lieutenant thought he might somehow actually be in the clear, he saw her stop in the doorway out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, and, Omaeda…" she said over her shoulder, her calm demeanor masking the fury that was quickly boiling over inside her. "Clean up this mess, please…BEFORE I PUT MY FOOT THROUGH YOUR SKULL!"

"Y-Yes, Ma'am!" he stammered as the captain slammed the door shut behind her.

With the muffled sounds of her lieutenant frantically scurrying about the other room filling the background, Soi Fon slowly walked over to her desk where a small stack of files and other paperwork awaited her, and sat down. She closed her eyes as the recent happenings echoed in her mind and the anxiety accompanying them persisted.

"_Stupid…_" she hissed, her anger spiking once again.

"Stupid, stupid, STUPID!" the woman yelled, accentuating her last word by sweeping her arms over the desk, sending the stack of paperwork flying across the room and scattering out along the floor.

She leaned forward with her elbows on the desktop, gripping her head in her hands as images of the incident from earlier flashed through her mind. How could she be so reckless? How could she allow herself to lose focus so easily? She'd made one misstep onto a weakened tree limb that cracked when she landed, and the sharp noise put her entire body on edge and caused her spirit energy to fluctuate as her control faltered. She'd only lost focus for an instant, but that was more than enough.

How could she spy on Lady Yoruichi like that, anyway? To risk doing something so perverted to the one person she cherished more than anything…she was disgusted with herself. Such behavior was unbecoming of her, of a captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads.

What if she'd been caught? Hell, she almost was! Yoruichi had spotted her, she'd looked right at her! Had she not fled when she did…no, that wouldn't have made any difference. If the older woman had bothered to give chase, there was no doubt in Soi's mind that she would have caught her. Even then, there was still no guarantee that her anonymity had remained intact. If she'd somehow been discovered…the shame would be unbearable. She would never be able to face her beloved again.

"Damn it…" she cursed herself through clenched teeth. "Damn it! How could you be so stupid?! Idiot! Damn, stupid IDIOT!"

"My, my…" came a low, playful-sounding voice from nearby, snapping Soi Fon out of her angered state. She quickly whipped around in her chair to see a black cat sitting up in her office window, peering over at her with a wily look in its eyes. "Such harsh words over something as trivial as some spilt crackers. Why not give the guy a bit of a break, hmm?"

"L-Lady Yoruichi!" Soi Fon squeaked in surprise, startled by her former mistress's unexpected intrusion. "What…what are you doing here?"

"Sorry for dropping in unannounced like this," Yoruichi said casually as she hopped down onto Soi's desk. "I was just on my way to Head-Captain Yamamoto's office when I heard shouting. Tell me, what's gotten you so worked up, Soi Fon? I don't think I've ever heard you use such language."

The petite woman blushed lightly and a nervous tinge shot through her body as Yoruichi settled in on the desk, her tail swaying idly back-and-forth. How long had she been here? How much did she hear? _What_ did she hear? Soi Fon quickly searched her thoughts, trying to remember everything she'd said in her distressed state and whether or not she'd just confessed her shameful secret. She couldn't recall saying anything incriminating, but that did little to ease the feeling of butterflies swelling up in her stomach.

She lowered her head slightly to hide the faint pink tint on her cheeks. "M-My apologies, Lady Yoruichi. It's just that…" Her words trailed off when she noticed the feline form moving towards her, those yellow eyes staring intently into her own. "L-Lady Yoruichi?"

"Hold that thought," she said, inching her way closer across the desk. "You've got something on your cheek. Come here and I'll get it."

The short-haired woman gulped, trying her best to push her nervousness aside before doing as instructed and leaning forward in her chair. She cursed herself inwardly, knowing without a doubt that the light blush was still present on her cheeks.

The last time she had been in this close of proximity to her former superior was when they'd fought each other in the forest the day of Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen's departure…and when she'd broken down into that pathetic display of tears. The circumstances at the time didn't allow for these feelings of embarrassment to enter her mind then – she was too overwhelmed by her own outpouring of emotion. But now, without all of that pain and anger to cloud her thoughts, the strong feelings she harbored for Yoruichi were in full effect.

Now mere inches from Soi's face, Yoruichi eyed the small foreign object stuck to the young captain's cheek and quickly identified it as a crumb from what must have been one of Omaeda's crackers. A sly grin tugged at her feline lips as a most delicious thought flashed through her mind. She took only a second to consider the idea, then stepped forward and slowly, deliberately, licked the small crumb from Soi's cheek.

Soi Fon's world stopped in an instant, leaving her utterly stunned and in a state of complete disbelief at what had just occurred. Did…did Yoruichi…just…? As the thought raced through her mind, she felt her body temperature skyrocket and her face turn a bright rosy red, her already diminished level of composure now all but obliterated.

"Mmm…delicious," Yoruichi purred, licking her lips. "I've got to say, your lieutenant may be a bit of a glutton, but he does have good taste in snacks, wouldn't you say? …Soi Fon?"

The captain blinked slowly as the words reached her ear, the sound of her name gradually bringing her head back down from the clouds. "Uhh-huh? W-What?" she mumbled dreamily.

"Is something the matter, Soi Fon? You look a little flushed. Are you feeling alright?"

The younger woman closed her eyes and shook her head to clear the haze, attempting to resume a more professional appearance in front of her goddess. "N-No, I'm…I'm fine. I…I think its time for you to go, though. I have a lot of work to do. Besides, you don't want to keep the Head-Captain waiting."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. Well, I'll see you later then." Yoruichi turned and hopped back up to the windowsill from where she'd entered, pausing briefly in the opening. "Don't work too hard, Little Bee," she finished with a playful grin, before disappearing out the window.

After the former Shihouin princess left the office, Soi Fon immediately slumped forward onto her desk and buried her head in her arms, releasing a deep groan of simultaneous relief and exasperation. She hated this damned effect that Yoruichi seemed to have over her. Or, more accurately, _that_ she had this effect on her. It was a constant source of frustration, as merely thinking about the other woman was often enough to leave her feeling lightheaded and flustered.

Her beautiful, mesmerizing golden eyes and enchanting smile, her soft violet hair, the flawless caramel-colored skin that made up her perfectly sculpted body…

Soi Fon shook her head as she straightened up in her seat, putting a stop to her provocative thoughts before it could progress any further. It was tangents like that one that were the very cause of her frustration to begin with. Besides, she had enough on her plate already with all the reports she had to go through by nightfall without this adding to her stress.

"I guess I better get this cleaned up…" she sighed, glancing at the line of paperwork that she'd strewn out across the room earlier. "Omaeda!"

XXXXXXXXXX

As Yoruichi continued through the city, leaping effortlessly from rooftop to rooftop on her way to the Head-Captain's offices, she couldn't help but smile. It had been a while since she'd had an opportunity to tease Soi Fon like that. She was always such a stickler for formalities and proper etiquette – it was always amusing for the older woman to see just how uncomfortable she could make her. Of course, she had a bit of an ulterior motive for her teasing this time around, and given what she was hoping to reveal she could think of nothing more appropriate than a…kiss, of sorts.

She chuckled lightly as the image echoed in her mind. The look on Soi's face after she'd licked the crumb off of her cheek was absolutely priceless. She couldn't remember ever seeing the younger woman blush so deeply before. And if that weren't enough, she had a dreamy look in her eyes and her lips were held slightly parted, making her appear as if she were lost in a fantasy. She could only guess about what.

She had a feeling about it from the beginning, but now Yoruichi was all but convinced that it was indeed Soi Fon who'd been spying on her before. The way she reacted, the apprehension in her voice and in her movements…everything just seemed to fit.

But then…Soi Fon was always like that around her.

Yoruichi stopped in her tracks at the sudden realization as she touched down on the next rooftop, her cat ears perked up slightly. That's just it – Soi was _always_ like that around her. Granted, Soi's reaction was a little more pronounced than usual, but she herself had also taken her teasing to another level, so that was only to be expected.

The woman shook her head and sighed, disappointed with the situation. She hadn't proven a thing with that little stunt of hers, least of all her former protégé's true feelings for her. If anything, all she had done was give the impression that it was _she_ who felt that way about _her_. Yoruichi paused for a moment and thought back on everything, chuckling lightly to herself at the irony of it all before continuing on. It seems she might have to do a little more spying on Soi Fon later if she wanted her answer.

As she approached the Division 1 headquarters, she couldn't shake the strange feeling that tugged at the back of her mind. Why was she so fixated on the idea that Soi Fon was her stalker, anyway? The behavior that the younger woman exhibited when she was around her was…intriguing, to say the least, but…that just didn't quite explain it. It was silly, but…as ridiculous as it sounded, it was almost as if she _wanted_ it to be Soi Fon.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine. There may be more truth there than she wanted to admit.

"Damn it," she cursed under her breath. "A fine mess you've gotten yourself into this time, Yoruichi…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Later That Night

Soi Fon let out a deep, exhausted sigh as she closed the door to her quarters and proceeded inside, removing her yellow sash and captain's haori and tossing them carelessly onto a chair sitting across the room. Her zanpakuto in hand, she continued onward to her bedroom and made her way over to the nightstand, setting the weapon down in its usual resting place. She then slipped out of her backless shihakusho and placed it folded neatly on the table beside her sword, followed shortly by the rest of her uniform. After she finished changing into her nightwear, she simply collapsed back onto her bed with her arms sprawled out on either side and waited for sleep to take her.

Unfortunately, sleep didn't come as easily for the slender woman as she'd hoped as she stared aimlessly up at the ceiling, the room illuminated by nothing but the dim moonlight leaking in through the window.

Her mind was restless. It had been a long evening for the Special Forces commander after Yoruichi left her office. The paperwork, that would normally have taken no more than a couple of hours to complete, lasted her well into nightfall, all due to the fact that the dark-skinned goddess was constantly in her thoughts. She'd even dismissed Lieutenant Omaeda early – much to his surprise – in an attempt to minimize distractions, but that ultimately proved to be a mistake. By comparison, she would've almost preferred some of her lieutenant's idiotic behavior to the more…eroticized thoughts that invaded her mind.

No matter how hard she tired, she just couldn't get the other woman out of her head. When Yoruichi left…devastated didn't begin to describe the way she'd felt. It was as if she'd lost a part of herself, and in those hundred years, she had become a cold, empty shell of her former self. She was left behind, but her heart and soul had always been with Yoruichi.

"Yoruichi…" she murmured, slowly bringing a hand up to her face and caressing her cheek. The same cheek that Yoruichi had once caressed under the sakura trees so long ago.

_Soi Fon smiled lightly as she looked up at the night sky, feeling the gentle touch of her mistress's hand on her cheek as her head rested in the older woman's lap. She loved this time that she and her mentor spent together. On clear nights, she and Lady Yoruichi would often come out to this meadow together and just gaze up at the stars, content to merely enjoy the other's presence. More often than not their positions were switched, with Yoruichi lying back and resting her head in her lap, but Yoruichi had insisted._

_She was reluctant to comply at first – she wasn't worthy of such kindness from her goddess, but her resistance was short-lived, as always. Her lady had asked it of her, after all. She would do anything Lady Yoruichi asked of her. And besides, the idea of falling asleep in her mistress's lap wasn't exactly an unpleasant thought._

_No, the honest truth is that these moments were her every dream come true. They were the few times when she actually allowed herself to be a little selfish…and felt truly happy._

_"Buzz, buzz…"_

_Soi Fon stirred slightly as the odd noise tickled her ear, but remained silent with her eyes still closed._

_"Buzz, buzz…" the sound repeated, this time accompanied by two light taps on the tip of her nose. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open, her sleepy eyes greeted by the sight of her mistress smiling back down at her through the darkness. "Wake up, Little Bee," Yoruichi hummed in a soft, singsongy tone._

_The girl gazed up dreamily at her mentor for a brief moment before a sudden flash of realization shot through her. In a panic, she sprang up from her reclined position and rolled off to one side onto her knees, burying her face into the grass as a feeling of pure shame and horror washed over her._

_When…when had she fallen asleep?! She'd_ never _fallen asleep before! She was Lady Yoruichi's bodyguard…she was supposed to protect her, with her own life if necessary! How could she fall asleep? How could she fail her mistress so completely?! There was no excuse this transgression. This was just further proof of how inadequate she truly was._

_"Soi Fon…" the princess said under her breath, amused by her pupil's initial reaction._

_"I-I'm so sorry, Lady Yoruichi! Please, forgive me!" Soi Fon paused briefly as she straightened her posture, cupping her hands in her lap, but keeping her head deeply bowed in shame. "I am unfit to serve as your guardian. I deserve whatever punishment that you-"_

_"Soi Fon, that's enough!" Yoruichi said sharply, silencing the younger woman instantly._

_The girl closed her eyes and cringed, bracing herself for the severe reprimand that she knew was to come – the words that she dreaded more than even her own death._

_"Look at me."_

_A small squeak escaped from Soi's throat as she quickly lifted her head to face her mentor, although she kept her eyes held shut as tightly as she could. Her lips were trembling, and she was on the verge of tears. She couldn't bear to see the disappointment that was sure to be on her goddess's face. A second later, however, her eyes shot open and a startled gasp escaped her lips as she felt something touch the tip of her nose again. A feeling of puzzlement bubbled up inside her as she stared down cross-eyed at the fingertip pressing lightly up against her nose._

_"Buzz, buzz…" came the sweet sound of Yoruichi's voice, drawing Soi's gaze up to meet her smiling face._

_In that moment, all of Soi Fon's anxiety seemed to fade away at sight of her mistress bathed in the soft moonlight, enveloping her in its cool, tranquil glow. It was beautiful…just like her Lady Yoruichi…_

"Oh, Yoruichi…" she moaned quietly, her hand tracing it's way down her neck and to her chest while the other gently rubbed her tummy beneath the folds of her nightwear, eliciting a pleasured sigh. She closed her eyes and squirmed slightly under her own touch, feeling her temperature begin to rise as her hand slowly moved to explore further south.

Meanwhile, an unseen presence looked on in stunned silence from a nearby rooftop as the whispered words and hushed whines of desire emanated from the young captain's room. All the violet-haired woman could to was just stand there and watch, paralyzed by the sight before her, with chills shooting down her spine at every uttering of her name. It took nearly all of three minutes before she was finally able to pry herself away from the scene and flee the area, but at this point her body was moving on automatic as her brain struggled to grasp what she'd just stumbled upon.

Yoruichi had spent the last few hours wondering what she would do if Soi Fon had indeed been the one spying on her, as well as how she would react if her _other_ suspicion turned out to be true. Unfortunately, she hadn't actually prepared herself yet for _either_ scenario, much less what she had just bore witness to…and least of all for the warm feelings she felt bubbling up inside of her as a result.

She couldn't believe what was happening. She'd never felt this way before…not for her Little Bee. She tried her best to shake the images from her mind, but there was simply no unseeing what she had seen. She paused for a moment and recalled some of her thoughts from earlier in the evening, letting out a cynical laugh at the situation now at hand.

"Well, Yoruichi, you got your wish," she muttered under her breath. "Now what do I do…?"


	2. Chapter 2

**_Bleach _**

**Soi Fon's Secret Mission **

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Romance

Pairing(s): Soi Fon/Solo, Yoruichi/Soi Fon

Rating: Mature – Strong Sexual Content, Mild Language

Disclaimer: "Bleach" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Tite Kubo / Shueisha. All rights reserved.

**Chapter 2**

Yoruichi sat quietly on the edge of the riverbank, hugging her legs up against her body and resting her chin on her knees as she stared vacantly at the reflection of the moon on the water's surface. Unlike those placid waters, however, her mind was a raging torrent of unfocused thoughts and images, memories, feelings… Her only solace was the knowledge that she was alone with these feelings, and that she would remain undisturbed unless she allowed otherwise – her chosen locale guaranteed her that much, at least.

She didn't know why exactly she'd come to the living world. She supposed it was to escape, to get as far away from Soi Fon or anyone else as possible, but that was irrelevant. She just knew she needed to be alone until she could sort all of this out.

That was almost two days ago.

She'd initially considered seeking out advice from…someone, but none of her options really seemed viable. Kukaku Shiba was the first person that came to mind, being in Soul Society herself – and a woman for that matter, but she was never the most…stable-minded person to begin with. Her second option had been Kisuke Urahara, but Kisuke, well… She was sure Kisuke would get around to saying something helpful eventually, but… Ugh, she could picture it now.

_"Wow, Yoruichi! I never knew you liked 'Soi' milk!" the man teased, an enormous grin smeared across his face. "Or is it you just have a craving for some of your Little Bee's sweet 'honey'? Heh-heh-heh!"_

Yoruichi blushed deeply at the thought, although less at the scene itself and more so at the fact that it was she herself who'd actually imagined it.

She shook her head lightly, clearing the images just long enough to allow countless others to fill the void. There were so many questions, so many strange feelings swirling around inside her head. None of which she had any answers for. Why couldn't she shake these feelings? Why couldn't she stop reliving these old memories of the times she and Soi Fon used to share, pleasant as they may be? Why…?

_"Why didn't you take me with you…?"_

The question flashed through her mind for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour alone. It was difficult to focus on anything, but this one thought in particular now seemed to be forcing its way to the forefront more than any other. She could still see the tears…still feel the hurt and sadness pouring out of the woman who was desperate for an answer to the question that she'd been harboring for a hundred years; for an answer that would never come; an answer that Yoruichi herself didn't have to give.

It was time she changed that.

In a flash, Yoruichi rolled forward onto her hands and knees and crawled to the river's edge, hesitating for a long second before finally peering out and looking down at her reflection in the water. She knew that if anyone passing by could see what she was about to do they would think her crazy, but after two days of this mental torture it felt like she was starting to lose her mind anyway, so what did it matter? Besides, it just might be crazy enough to work.

The dark-skinned woman paused and took a deep breath, channeling her thoughts as she dug deep into her mind. She wanted answers, and she was going to get them no matter what it took, no matter what the result. And there was only one person she knew that could provide them.

"Why…?" she muttered, staring intently into the pair of piercing golden eyes that stared back at her. "Why didn't you take her with you?"

_"Why do you ask? You already know the answer to that, don't you?"_ her reflection replied in a somber tone, a somewhat surreal, echo-like quality to the voice.

She felt her shoulders slump as a twinge of guilt shot through her body. She thought for a second before responding, "I…I couldn't. I couldn't ask her to come. It wouldn't have been fair to ask that of her, to choose between coming with me and staying in Soul Society."

_"So you made the choice for her. How is that fair? No, what's the_ real _reason you didn't ask her?"_

"Because…because I knew she would've said yes…" Yoruichi paused a moment to collect her thoughts. "She would have spent the rest of her life in exile, just like me and Kisuke. She had such a bright future there, and she would have thrown it all away without a second thought. I…I couldn't let her do that…I couldn't let her throw her life away."

_"…Wow…such a noble sentiment…you almost had even me convinced. I guess what they say is true. If you lie to yourself long enough, you start to really believe it…"_

"No, you're wrong…they're not lies…"

_"Yes…they are. They always have been. They were lies you told yourself to ease your own mind; lies you told yourself so you wouldn't have to face the truth of why you abandoned her…"_

Yoruichi started to argue the point, but stopped herself. Trying to justify her actions to herself wasn't what she was trying to accomplish here. "Then why? What is the truth? Why didn't I take her with me?"

_"Simple. It's for the same reason you're here now…"_

"What? What do you mean?"

_"Do you really not understand? Have you buried it so deeply, that you need to go to these lengths – having a conversation with your own subconscious – just to remember?"_

Yoruichi forced an uneasy grin, reminded of how crazy she must look right now. "Heh, it would seem so…"

_"Hmph, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You never were very good at recognizing such things. Very well, then, I guess it can't be helped…"_

There was a long silence in the air as the woman finally let go, releasing the part of her mind that she'd kept hidden from herself for nearly a century. She didn't know what to expect, what sort of profound revelation was about to be made to her, but she couldn't fight it any longer. She needed to know…if not for Soi's sake, then for her own. She needed to remember, she _wanted_ to remember.

_"It's because you were afraid,"_ the reflection said simply. _"You were afraid of your own feelings for her, the same feelings that were reawakened at the sight of her lying in bed, gasping out your name._

_"You always knew there was something special about her, from the very first time your eyes met on the Stealth Force training grounds and she blocked your attack. It was never your intent when you made her your bodyguard and took her under your wing, but as the years passed you began to grow closer and closer together, and your feelings for her continued to grow. She slowly became more to you than just your subordinate, more than just a close friend, but by the time you realized what was happening it was already too late._

_"You fell in love with her…"_

"…I…I fell in love with her…" Yoruichi repeated, almost in a daze.

After a few moments of silence, the violet-haired woman pushed herself away from the water's edge and fell back onto the grass, gazing up at the stars as she struggled to accept what her own mind was telling her. Part of her was still trying to fight it, but that part didn't seem to carry much weight anymore. After all, this wasn't just some outsider looking in giving their interpretation of how she felt. This was her own subconscious – these were _her_ thoughts, _her_ feelings, she'd only just forgotten.

"I…I remember now…" she whispered into the moonlight, bringing her arms to rest across her stomach. She lay there a short while with an empty look on her face as she reiterated her old memories to herself.

"I had never felt that way about someone before, and…it scared me. I'd never experienced anything like it. I just didn't know what to do…whether or not I should act on what I was feeling, or what would happen if I did. She had become like a little sister to me, and even though a part of me wanted more…

"I knew how much she admired and looked up to me, but part of me was afraid she wouldn't return my feelings…and the other part was afraid that she would. I was completely lost.

"And then…"

Yoruichi closed her eyes as the memories from her last day as a Soul Reaper replayed in her mind, although now with a greater degree of understanding than they previously held.

It was just past sundown after she and Soi Fon had parted ways for the night, having spent the evening together training in a nearby field. She could remember feeling so proud of how far her Little Bee had come in mastering her shikai…but that feeling was overshadowed by the fear and doubt caused by her recently discovered affections. As chance would have it, it was then, during her moments of uncertainty that her oldest and best friend, Kisuke Urahara, intercepted her on her way back to her quarters with the news that he was leaving Soul Society.

She couldn't recall if it was he who'd asked for her help or if it was she who'd offered it, but that was never an issue. Her mind was made up before he'd ever even explained the situation. He was leaving at midnight…and she was going with him.

It was her chance to get away, to avoid ever having to deal with her feelings for Soi Fon.

Yoruichi cringed at the thought, disgusted with knowing that she had once thought in such a way.

Kisuke had given her two hours to do whatever she needed; to gather anything she wanted to take with her; to leave any final words to her subordinates; to say any goodbyes. It was the most torturous two hours of her life. It was torture because it gave her time…time to reflect on the magnitude of the situation she found herself in, time to think about the finality of the choice she was about to make. In the end, she had ended up spending the remainder of her time in Soul Society alone, staring absently up at the night sky from beneath the cherry blossoms that bordered her and Soi Fon's secret meadow.

She did nothing.

It was by far the most foolish, selfish and cowardly thing she'd ever done. She left without a word. No warning, no explanation…not even a goodbye. She left, and began the long process of trying to forget. And it was all because of her pathetic, misguided fear. A hundred years of living in denial…she was sick of it, she was tired of being such a damned scaredy-cat.

Yoruichi sat up as a new sense of determination sparked inside of her. "I'm not afraid anymore."

XXXXXXXXXX

Soi Fon strolled casually through the streets of Seireitei with a soft look on her face and a slight bounce in her step in what could only be described as a good mood. Another meeting of the Shinigami Women's Association had just adjourned and she was on her way back to her residence, holding a stuffed black cat loosely in her arms. While that wasn't the cause of her oddly spirited demeanor, it wasn't hurting things either.

The small plush toy had been a gift from Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto of the 10th Division, one of several souvenirs the busty woman had brought back with her for the various club members after her recent assignment in the living world. It was certainly a nice gift, in and of itself, but the young captain knew that in all likelihood it was meant as little more than a jab at her and her rather…enthusiastic admiration of Lady Yoruichi. The fact that Rangiku had actually called it a "Yoruichi-cat" when she gave it to her didn't served to dissuade that theory any.

Even so, it wasn't enough to dampen her pleasant mood. It was a strange thing, though. She wasn't particularly happy about anything, she just felt…content, at ease. Much more so than she had throughout most all of the previous week, at least, a sentiment spawned by the fact that she hadn't seen or heard from the real Yoruichi in almost a week either.

Ordinarily, Yoruichi not coming around Soul Society for a small period of time like this wouldn't be something that Soi Fon would give a second thought to, one way or the other. But then, her recent situation had been far from ordinary.

Ever since the morning after Yoruichi had paid her that unexpected visit in her office, Soi had spent nearly every waking hour looking over her shoulder. She was convinced that she would hear soft footsteps creeping behind her; see small black objects dart by out of the corner of her eye. She was utterly paranoid that her dark-skinned goddess somehow knew what she had done and would come for her revenge…whatever that would entail.

Five days had now passed without incident, and that meant only one thing to the Special Forces leader. It meant that Yoruichi didn't know it was her; that she no longer suspected her, and probably hadn't for some time. She was in the clear, off the hook, out of the woods, or whatever other silly phrase she'd heard used to describe it. It all meant the same thing…

She was safe.

Not a moment after the notion had passed through the captain's mind did she suddenly hear a string of footsteps rapidly approaching from behind.

"You!" Soi Fon shouted as she whipped her head around, her heart rate spiking.

Startled by the captain's sudden outburst towards him, the young Soul Reaper stuttered half a step while in mid-stride, causing him to trip on his own feet and sending him tumbling to the ground with a series panicked shrieks and cries. Soi could only stand and watch with a baffled look on her face while the bizarre spectacle played out before her, seeing the boy bounce and roll across the ground as random items somehow began ejecting themselves from the medical pack on his back.

The slender woman was quickly brought back on full alert, however, when a tiny glint of light caught her eye. She glanced up just in time to see a small object flying towards her, her eyes widening as she identified it as a syringe of some kind. Unwilling to chance what the contents of it's container may be, she hurriedly leapt off to the side as the syringe flew passed the empty space that her left shoulder occupied only a split-second earlier. She then quickly shot her arm out and snatched the medical tool out of midair between her fingers as it whizzed by, before leisurely bringing it into view.

Soi Fon frowned in disgust as she examined the device. It's finger-length needle was completely exposed and glistening flagrantly in the sunlight, and it's clear plastic container was filled to the brim with a sickly green liquid that consisted of God knows what. After a few seconds, she turned and looked down at the young man who had finally rolled to a stop a few feet away from her and was now lying face-first on the street. Such blatant incompetence – who knows what could have happened if this thing had stuck her? If this fool were a member of her own squad…

"Boy!" she exclaimed as the other Soul Reaper struggled to his knees. "Identify yourself!"

The young man gazed up slowly at the sound of the command, a feeling of embarrassment at his own clumsiness washing over him at the sight of the slightly blurry young woman staring down at him. That feeling soon changed to nervousness and panic, however, when he noticed the white haori she was wearing that signified her captaincy, before ultimately morphing into a feeling of dread when the realization of who exactly the woman was sank in.

"C-C-Captain Soi Fon!" he stammered, recoiling backwards.

He'd never met the captain in person before, but he'd heard stories about her ruthlessness and her cold, unforgiving nature. It was mostly second-hand, presumably exaggerated accounts from his other squad members who've treated wounds of some of her subordinates, but they painted quite the intimidating picture, nonetheless. Based on the callousness of her voice and the deadly look he was now receiving, he was starting to think that those stories were comprised more of fact than fiction.

Without any further hesitation, he immediately sprang to his feet and bowed as far forward as he could before identifying himself as ordered.

"P-Pardon me, Captain. Hanataro Yamada, 7th Seat of Squad 4, at your service." Hanataro slowly raised his head to meet the gaze of the steel-gray eyes looking back at him. "W-What can I do for you?"

"Explain to me what _this_ is…" Soi Fon said coldly, extending her hand with the syringe held delicately between her fingertips, "…and why I was nearly injected with it."

Hanataro gulped as he looked at the medical instrument. She'd almost been…injected with that? How? It was in his backpack before he… His thoughts stopped there, quickly realizing that it must have come out somehow when he'd tripped and fell. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"That…that's an experimental f-fast-acting sedative developed by Division 12. I-I was told it's b-based off of Captain Kurotsuchi's zanpakuto, designed to immobilize the patient's extremities while still allowing feeling in them, but altered to specifically deaden…p-pain," he explained, struggling a little with that last word as he suddenly got the feeling that he was about to experience some. "I-I was just on my way back to my division with this sample. Captain Unohana wanted to observe it's effects first-hand to see if it worked to her liking."

"I see…" the captain said thoughtfully, considering the information. "At ease."

Hanataro's eyes widened slightly, surprised at the woman's words. She…she wasn't angry? He couldn't believe it. He'd been expecting a painful fist to the stomach or a skull-cracking kick to the head, or for her to grab him and put him into some kind of arm or headlock while she vented her anger. He slowly eased out of his respectful bow and stood up, though still somewhat slumped forward. Maybe the stories _were_ exaggerated…

"So…this is a sedative…" Soi Fon mused, eyeing the device again.

"Y-Yes, Ma'am."

"And you say you're on your way back to Division 4 so your captain can see its effects, correct?"

Hanataro nodded in confirmation.

"In that case, allow me to save you the trip…"

The 7th Seat stood in shock again at the supposedly ruthless captain's words. She was offering to deliver it for him? He just couldn't believe it…even Isane rarely ever offered do something this nice for him. The reputation that this woman had suddenly didn't make any sense to him. How could someone who was being so nice be so feared? How could…

Hanataro's thoughts trailed off as his legs abruptly went numb, and he collapsed to his knees. He then glanced down to see the syringe sticking out of his right thigh, just as the auto-inject mechanism at it's base finished administering the greenish-colored liquid contained inside. A second later he found himself lying limply on his side, his eyes looking up at the pair of icy-gray ones glaring back down at him.

"Don't worry, I've already called for a medical team. You'll be back at 4th Division in no time," Soi Fon said, clutching the cat plushie in her arms as she turned to leave. "Tell Captain Unohana I said 'you're welcome'."

"Y-Yes, Ma'am," he muttered as he watched the woman leave. "Maybe they weren't exaggerated…after all…"

XXXXXXXXXX

With the midday sun shining high overhead, the Special Forces leader made her way across the catwalks towards the Division 2 headquarters, still carrying the fuzzy stuffed-animal loosely in her arms. She was originally going to drop the toy off at home first, but her encounter with that clumsy 4th Division officer had delayed her slightly, so she decided to just keep it with her for the day. It wasn't as if it was going to be a bother to her, and besides, she really did like her new little Yoruichi-cat…

Soi Fon entered her office building a few minutes later, ready to get started on her work for the day, only to be stopped almost immediately by the frantic shouting of her lieutenant, whom was quickly bounding over to her.

"Captain! Captain!" the man exclaimed as he stopped and stood hunched over directly in front of her, his howling causing the petite woman's hair to wave slightly under his breath.

"What is it, Omaeda?" Soi Fon replied slowly, the vain in her forehead twitching as she brought a free hand up to rub her now ringing ear. And to think, she was in such a fine mood a moment ago…

"Orders, Ma'am! On your desk! Top secret! For your eyes only!" he recited, stepping off to one side.

Without a word, the young captain resumed her steady pace to her office, unfazed by her lieutenant's urgent behavior. If these orders were anywhere near that pressing he would have sent a Hell Butterfly for her the moment he received them. As it were, he was content to just wait for her arrival and try to impress her with a false sense of urgency in an attempted show of responsibility. Pathetic.

As she slid open her office door, she spotted the simple parcel resting on her desk and walked over to it, noticing the words "Top Secret" and "Captains Eyes Only" written on it in large print. Soi scoffed at the sight, then paused briefly when she sensed Omaeda following behind her.

"Did you open it?" she questioned him, already knowing the answer.

"What? Of course not!" Omaeda replied, a shocked, hurt filled expression on his face. "Captain, I would never… For you to even suggest such a thing! I can't believe that you-"

No longer caring to listen, Soi Fon returned her attention to the letter as her lieutenant rambled on in defense of himself. As she reached for the parchment, however, a brief shimmer of light from the area surrounding it caught her eye, causing her to stop and recoil her hand. After a moment of thought, an amused grin began tugging at her lips.

"Idiot," she chided. "You couldn't get passed the barrier, could you?"

Now dead silent, and with a slight reddish tint on his cheeks having been found out, the 2nd Squad lieutenant lowered his head and slowly backed out of the room, content to take his leave now and not test his captain's patients by putting up any further argument.

Pushing the ogre from her mind, Soi Fon turn back to her desk and furrowed her brow, curiously eyeing the parcel that awaited her there. She instinctively gripped the cat plushie against her abdomen just a little bit tighter. Something didn't feel right…

After a short pause, she extended her right hand with an open palm facing outward towards the barrier. The air around her hand and forearm started to swirl and glow pure white as she channeled her spirit energy, focusing it into a small orb in her palm.

"Hankabe!" she exclaimed, firing the burst of energy into the barrier and shattering it in a blinding flash.

The woman then slipped the piece of paper off the desk and eased it open, quickly scanning the contents of the letter. She only made it passed the third line, however, when her nerves suddenly grew tense. She froze, and her entire body started to tremble as she gritted her teeth and fought back the tears slowly forming in her eyes. A moment later, her left arm unconsciously fell down to her side, releasing the hold she had on small cat toy and allowing it to fall to the floor.

"No…no, it can't be…you can't…" Soi Fon muttered under her breath, shaking her head in disbelief. "Lady Yoruichi…you can't be working for him…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Author Comments: And so the plot thickens. I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 2. Hopefully it was more fun for you to read than it was for me to write. The first part with Yoruichi was a pain in the ass, and I'm still not sure I'm completely happy with it. Soi Fon's scenes were okay, though. She's a lot easier for me to write for, for some reason. I really like the cute, soft side she has whenever Yoruichi is involved, but it's pretty fun writing her cruel and intimidating side, too. Sorry to any Hanataro fans for using him as the butt of my little joke, by the way. I just couldn't resist.

The technique "hankabe" that I had Soi Fon use is something I made up. It's based off of Yoruichi's hanki or "Reverse Demon", which she used to counter Soi Fon's shunko during their fight. Hanki cancels an opponent's kido attack by sending an equally powerful surge of energy back at the opponent. Following that principle, I took the "han" – meaning counter or reverse – from hanki and combined it with the word "kabe" – meaning wall or barrier – to create hankabe or "Reverse Barrier". It's complete and utter BS on my part, but it works well enough until Kubo shows how a barrier would actually be broken or removed.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Bleach _**

**Soi Fon's Secret Mission **

Author: Xgamerkf

Genre: Romance

Pairing(s): Soi Fon/Solo, Yoruichi/Soi Fon

Rating: Mature – Strong Sexual Content, Mild Language

Disclaimer: "Bleach" and its corresponding characters, locations, and trademarks are the properties of Tite Kubo / Shueisha. All rights reserved.

Author Comments: Well, having now read the "Turn Back The Pendulum" chapters of the manga, it's pretty obvious that I mucked the hell out of that little recounting of Yoruichi's last chapter. The rest of her scene still works well enough, but damn, I could not have been further off with that 'last hours' bit. Ugh…just disregard her little flashback until I can rewrite it so it actually fits.

On another note, for those curious as to when this all takes place, I've decided that sometime during the Arrancar Arc – lets say fairly early on in Ichigo's Vizard training – would be a good timeframe for this story. If that doesn't mean anything to you, I recommend catching up on the story via either the subs or the manga like I did. Otherwise…belated spoiler warning, I guess? Anyway, I apologize for the wait, at usual. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Chapter 3**

Soi Fon paced anxiously back-and-forth afcross the hallway just outside of Head-Captain Yamamoto's office, her mind running rampant over the contents of the letter that she'd received earlier and now held crumpled tightly in her hand.

It couldn't be true, it just couldn't be. It didn't make any sense. Why would Lady Yoruichi be working for _him_? It had to be some kind of trick…a forged set of orders planted intended to draw her out into a trap or something. That _had_ to be it…at least, that's what she was hoping for. Of course, while that scenario would mean that her faith in Yoruichi had not been misplaced, it would also mean that someone had managed to sneak into Seireitei and plant the document without anyone's knowledge, which was potentially a far more serious problem – albeit one she selfishly preferred.

She had been waiting out here for almost a full minute now to address the situation with the Head-Captain, however, and she was becoming impatient. She'd told his lieutenant that it was urgent! What the hell was taking so damn long?!

On cue, Squad 1 Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe emerged from the room a moment later to grant her access.

"Captain Soi Fon, the Head-Captain will see y-gah!" he began before Soi interrupted, shoving him off to one side as she hurried passed him.

"Forgive my intrusion, Head-Captain, but something of vital importance has come up," the Special Forces commander spoke with a serious tone as she made her way to the center of the large, open room. "I discovered a set of orders on my office desk about ten minutes ago containing your official seal and signature. After considering the contents, however, it is clear that this document is a forgery, indicating a severe breach in secur-"

"The orders are genuine," Yamamoto said plainly, cutting the younger captain's briefing short.

Soi Fon recoiled slightly at the old man's words, her body tensing as a knot formed in the back of her throat. The letter…is genuine? It really _was_ from the Head-Captain? But…that would mean that…that…

"No…no, that's not possible," she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Mm? Is there a problem with your orders?"

"Yes, sir! There…there must me some mistake!" she replied vehemently as she took a step forward, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice. "What this information suggests…it can't be true! Lady Yoruichi would never join that traitor, Aizen! It…it must have been somebody else! An imposter! Somebody in a gigai that looked like her! Lady Yoruichi would never betray-"

"Enough!" Yamamoto interjected in a forceful, but unperturbed manner. "Control yourself, Captain. I expect better from someone of your station."

"Y-Yes, Head-Captain. Forgive me, I was out of line," Soi Fon said, quickly bowing her head in embarrassment of her own conduct.

The Head-Captain leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his desk, clasping his hands together in front of his face. He paused briefly, considering the situation. He hadn't expected the young woman to confront him like this; she was usually always content with just following the orders given to her. Although it certainly did make sense, considering… Nothing for it, though, he'd just have to deal with it as best he could.

"I understand that you may still harbor feelings of loyalty for your former commander," the old man began in a level tone, "but you must not allow your judgment to become clouded in this matter. Or need I remind you that she has, indeed, betrayed this institution once before…"

Soi Fon cringed at the allusion. No, that was certainly _not_ something she needed to be reminded of.

"The fact is, intelligence reports that Yoruichi Shihouin was seen a few days ago in the company of what appeared to be an Arrancar, although the identity of the Arrancar and the nature of whatever talks took place between them is unknown. It is possible that their exchange was not a friendly one, but the fact that Miss Shihouin failed to report this incident herself makes the situation look very suspicious. The resulting implications of that cannot be ignored.

"That being said, make no mistake, Miss Shihouin has not yet been accused of anything. Your mission is one of reconnaissance first and foremost, and you are not to engage Miss Shihouin unless you find yourself with no other options. Stealth is of the utmost importance on this mission, so you must go alone. Simply follow her and watch her for as long as you deem necessary, taking note of any suspicious activity, and then report back with your findings. I will then decide how to proceed from there. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, Head-Captain," Soi Fon replied hesitantly as she absorbed the information.

"Dismissed."

With that, the petite woman bowed her head once more before wheeling around and starting off towards the door at a brisk pace, exiting a moment later and leaving the Head-Captain to his duties.

As Lieutenant Sasakibe saw her to the exit, Soi Fon remained lost in the sea of thoughts churning around in her head. She could still hardly believe that this assignment was real, but there was no disputing it; the Head-Captain himself had issued the order. If nothing else, though, she felt that she could take solace in the fact that the Head-Captain didn't seem to want to believe it either, otherwise she may well have been going on a very different kind of mission right now.

Meanwhile, back in the Division 1 office, Head-Captain Yamamoto eased back in his chair and let out a brief sigh, feeling mostly satisfied with how everything had played out.

"So, how did I do?" he asked to the empty room.

"Not bad…not bad at all," a female voice mused from just outside his office, its owner jumping down from her hiding spot and coming in through the open wall. The woman casually made her way over to the Head-Captain's desk, her usual mischievous grin present on her lips. "It was very believable. For a second there, I was half-expecting you to outright order her to capture me and bring me in for questioning."

"You owe me for this, Yoruichi Shihouin," Yamamoto said in a less-than-cheerful manner.

"Aw, come on," Yoruichi whined, crossing her arms. "Can't this just have been a nice favor for a former comrade? I've recently offered my assistance to you guys a couple of times, if you recall. And with much more predominant matters, I might add."

"Lest you forget, your efforts in aiding Soul Society against the Bounts and your assistance during the incident with Sosuke Aizen are the only reasons I allow you free passage into Seireitei to begin with. On top of that, this 'nice favor' is keeping one of my best officers from her duties for a rather significant period of time. A hefty inconvenience considering the current state of affairs."

"Oh, you're no fun," she scoffed, a playful smile spreading across her lips.

Despite his stern appearance, Yoruichi could tell that the Head-Captain's comments – although entirely true and things of which she was very much aware; another price for leaving a hundred years ago – were given as little more than good-natured banter, as were her own. Or so she chose to believe, anyway…

"Thanks again for the help, old man. I promise I'll make it up to you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a little bee to catch."

With a brief wave, the violet-haired woman turned and quickly flash stepped back out through the open wall, leaving the Head-Captain to his work and disappearing into the city on the way to her destination. She'd have to hurry if she was going to get into position out in West Rukongai before Soi Fon got there.

Yamamoto huffed lightly to himself as the woman left. "Kids…" he muttered, returning to his paperwork.

XXXXXXXXXX

Under the mid-afternoon sun, in a small rural town in the 3rd District of West Rukongai, the streets were abuzz with day-to-day activity as the citizens roamed the markets. Children frolicked and played amongst the empty alleyways and plots of land, laughing and bickering alike as they went about their games. The combined sounds filled the air with a dull roar that radiated for nearly a mile in every direction.

Out on the edge of the town, however, where the small, slender captain of Squad 2 stood perched up in the branches of a large willow tree, things were nothing but silent and still.

Soi Fon had arrived at the outskirts of the village about a half-hour ago when she sensed Yoruichi's spirit energy, confirming that the older woman was indeed present there just as her orders indicated she would be. She'd initially considered entering the town to try and pinpoint the woman's exact location, but decided against it. The place would surely be very active at this time of day, and Soul Reapers tended to draw a lot of attention from the other souls whenever they were around. Perusing the cramped streets and buildings, even while sticking to the rooftops, would simply put her at too high a risk of being seen.

The only sensible option was to lie in wait somewhere nearby for her target to leave the village, and then resume her mission from there, which was exactly where Soi Fon found herself now.

But as she waited, the details surrounding this assignment – from the specifics given in the official orders to the Head-Captain's words themselves – continued to gnaw away at her thoughts.

Something just didn't _feel_ right. For one thing, why was this issue not brought up in the captains meeting earlier this morning, or even in the days before? The possibility that Lady Yoruichi – and by association that _bastard_ Urahara – could somehow be working with Aizen seemed like something the other captain's should know about. It didn't make sense to keep them in the dark about this, especially since Urahara had become one of Soul Society's primary contacts in the world of the living.

What really puzzled her, though, was that, as head of the Special Forces, why was this the first she'd heard of any kind of surveillance being done on Lady Yoruichi? None of her specialized units were ever commissioned for such an operation, and she'd heard no mention of her former mentor in any of the intelligence reports that had crossed her desk this past week, from her own division or otherwise. The only explanation was that they were reporting to Head-Captain Yamamoto directly…but who were "they", and what reason did the Head-Captain have to send them after Yoruichi in the first place?

Soi Fon paused briefly and shook her head, letting out a quiet sigh as she refocused her thoughts. She couldn't afford to be distracted by this now. She was sure the Head-Captain would answer any questions she had during debriefing, but for now she had to stay focused on the task at hand…on absolving Lady Yoruichi of any wrongdoing.

The petite woman shifted into a more comfortable position in the tree as she waited, keeping her concentration fixated on her target's spirit energy. She didn't have to wait long, however, with only a few minutes passing by before she felt the other woman beginning to move amongst the crowds, slowing making her way in her general direction. Another few short minutes passed before she finally spotted Yoruichi emerging from the mass of buildings, walking casually down the roadway away from the village.

The young captain looked on intently as her target continued down the road towards the woods, passing by beneath the tree from which she was watching.

This was the moment of truth. Her former mistress was now just within fifty meters of her position. If she went unnoticed, her mission could continue as planned with the knowledge that she could remain hidden, even at this proximity. If not…

Suddenly, Soi Fon's thoughts were put on hold when saw the violet-haired woman stop in her tracks and begin to slowly look around.

She froze instantly, not daring to so much as breathe lest the slightest hint of motion give her away. A feeling of deja vu washed over her. It felt like that brief moment five days ago at the lagoon in Seireitei forest all over again. Her entire body grew tense, and her blood chilled at the possibility of having somehow been discovered…only this time, unfortunately, fleeing was not an option.

Unaware of her former protégé's plight, Yoruichi stood idly on the road with her arms crossed loosely over her abdomen, passing glances back and forth at the few various trees and undergrowth that lined the dirt path. She furrowed her brow, quieting her mind and focusing her thoughts as she scanned the surrounding area for Soi's spirit energy. After a few seconds, a small sense of confusion came over her at what she found, or rather what she didn't find.

It was odd. She had been waiting in that village as planned for nearly an hour now, giving the young captain plenty of time to locate her and take up a surveillance position somewhere nearby.

So then, where _was_ she?

There was no doubt in Yoruichi's mind that Soi Fon was here somewhere, but she couldn't sense her at all. It was no wonder she hadn't sensed the younger woman the other day at the lagoon, her Little Bee had become just as adept at masking her spirit energy as she herself had ever been. It was quickly becoming clear that pulling this off might turn out to be trickier than she originally thought it'd be. Even so, Yoruichi couldn't help but smile – nothing less from the head of Special Forces.

"That's my girl…" she mused, relaxing her arms down by her side before resuming her casual saunter towards the woods.

As the dark-skinned woman continued down the dirt path, Soi Fon slowly released her held breath, careful to remain silent as a mild sense of relief bubbled up inside her.

The most important step was over. She'd done it. She'd managed to successfully keep her presence hidden at short range, cementing the knowledge that she should have no trouble maintaining her surveillance throughout the remainder of the mission. However, there was one thought that still worried her, and it had to do with the other woman's suspicious behavior just now.

Why was Lady Yoruichi acting that way? It was as if she was checking the area to make sure no one was following her, but what reason did she have to be so cautious? She didn't have anything to hide. She hadn't done anything wrong…right?

The thought was erased from the captain's mind as quickly as it had entered, however, when she noticed her target kneel down briefly and then leap into the air, landing softly on a branch at the edge of the tree line before disappearing into the sea of leaves.

Soi Fon delayed momentarily to allow some distance to accumulate between herself and her former mentor. The cushion would help keep the sound of her movements from reaching the other woman target, as well as allow her more time to react should she need to stop or quickly change direction. And because Yoruichi wasn't attempting to conceal her spirit energy, there was no reason to get any closer than she needed to while on the move. The further away she could be, the better.

After a few seconds, now satisfied with the amount of distance between them, Soi Fon sprang out from her hiding spot and zipped off into the woods, beginning her pursuit.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yoruichi dashed through the woodlands of West Rukongai at a moderate pace, jumping from branch to branch and weaving herself over, under and around the thick array of tree limbs as she navigated the overgrowth. She'd been zigzagging the area around Koifushi Mountain for almost ten minutes attempting to buy some time until she could figure out what to do about her persisting dilemma.

She had hoped to be able to pick up on Soi Fon's spirit energy by now, but that otherwise basic task was proving to be far more difficult than she'd expected. She knew the younger woman was following her, but without knowing precisely where she was it would be impossible to advance to the final stages of her plan. She needed to find a way to get her to reveal her presence, but how?

The best methods she could think of to make Soi slip up were to either set traps as she went along, or to try more elaborate maneuvers to make her have to work harder to keep up. The problem was that either one of those options would reveal the fact that she knew she was being followed, and that would ruin everything. And besides, the chance of something like that even working on Soi Fon at this point was slim-to-none, so her efforts would likely be wasted anyway. She needed another avenue.

The violet-haired woman thought hard over the situation as she continued her path through the woods.

She was going about this the wrong way. Although it wounded her pride as the former head of Special Forces slightly, not being able to sense the young commander in that way wasn't important. No, it was something else entirely that had begun pulling at her heartstrings.

Why couldn't she _feel_ her?

Soi Fon was hiding her spirit energy right now, of course, but…that wasn't the same thing. She couldn't feel the slender woman's presence at all. Somehow, she had _always_ been able to feel her presence before – it was how she always used to know when the girl was out training late at night at their secluded sakura grove. She couldn't explain it back then, but in the years following, and again now after all this time, it all made sense to her.

Yoruichi's head sank slightly in remembrance, a solemn expression creeping across her face. She missed that feeling now. She wanted it back…she wanted to feel her Little Bee again…

The Shihouin princess slowed her movement as she passed the next couple of branches before landing softly on the third, stopping there and standing with her right arm extended to brace herself against the trunk of the tree. She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, closing her eyes and emptying her thoughts of anything that didn't involve her would-be love. She stared deeply at the blackness of the inside of her eyelids, watching as image after image from the past appeared before her, each one supplying a swell of warmth to her heart.

She saw the sparkle in Soi's eyes when she was introduced into her personal guard. She saw the joy on her face after the completion of their first assignment together. She saw strength and determination that radiated from her slender form as she trained, and the elated smile that followed when she learned a new technique. She also saw the pure, untainted happiness in the girl's eyes as she gazed up at them in the moonlight from where her head lie, resting in her lap beneath the sakura trees.

As the images passed, Yoruichi continued to stare into the dark recesses of her mind, waiting. What she was waiting for, exactly, she didn't know. She was just waiting…for a voice, for a feeling, for something to happen, anything! She stood waiting with abated breath for what felt like an eternity, but nothing came.

Her heart ached. There was an emptiness there that she hadn't been aware of before, a hole in her heart that had been artificially plugged for a long time. That hole was now crying out, desperate to be filled. Crying out for the one that could finally fill that void.

"Soi Fon…" she whispered as her eyes began to water, her voice strained with a sense of yearning.

A moment later, the tension coursing through her body was suddenly released as a faint chime rang out in her mind, resonating from the very depths of her soul. Then, she saw it, a tiny iridescent glow flickering to life amidst the expansive abyss, the bluish-colored flame at its origin burning brighter and brighter with each passing second like a newly lit candle. It was a sight she remembered fondly, and one that she was overjoyed to bear witness to again.

The violet-haired woman smiled as an old familiar feeling began to swell up inside of her, and she was forced to stifle an emotional laugh as a joy-filled tear ran down her cheek. She could feel her. As impossible as it seemed, she could feel her, hiding somewhere in the underbrush a little over a hundred meters back. The feeling was soft, softer than anything she'd ever felt, but it was clearly there.

She did it…she actually did it.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Yoruichi quickly regained her composure and refocused her thoughts, ready to bring her plan to fruition. She paused briefly to estimate her current location in the area, disoriented slightly after this unexpected trek through the forest. She then turned to her left and started off again through the trees, en route to her original destination at Koifushi Mountain.


End file.
